Leading provider for wireless headphone events, Silent Disco King, recently partnered with Cineramageddon at Glastonbury festival for a debut screening of “Ibiza, The Silent Movie.”

Cineramageddon is curated by film director Julien Temple and returned to Glastonbury this year for its second outing after debuting in 2017.

The area has the UK’s largest outdoor cinema screen and includes 60 vehicles including Mad Max style cars, classic cars, fairground bumper cars and convertibles dug into the ground, which festival goers can rent out to watch an array of cult classic movies.  

The activation was opened this year with the premiere of “Ibiza, The Silent Movie” directed by Julien Temple and music curated by Fatboy Slim.The film is an exploration of the hedonistic history of the Ibiza island and was introduced by Glastonbury’s co-creator Michael Eavis, Julien Temple and Fatboy Slim himself. 2600 attendees enjoyed the two-hour long film on Silent Disco King headphones, followed by a live 45-minute DJ set from Fatboy Slim.

‘Ibiza, the Silent Movie’ was recorded in 7.1 Surround and Cineramageddon were passionate about attendees experiencing the movie in this format, just the way the producers intended in the studio. However, noise limitations on the cinema site meant that all audio must be relayed via headphones rather than a conventional cinema sound system. As a result, the technical brief for the silent cinema was far more demanding than the first year. HD Pro Audio approached Silent Disco King with a mutual solution.

The Silent Disco King headphones were used in conjunction with KLANG:vier Immersive Audio Processor, Midas M32 Surface, Shure Wireless microphone systems, and Dante Protocol Routing. These technologies allowed the film and DJ set to be consumed in 3D binaural audio, creating the effect of motion within the headphones.

Dan Morgan, Cineramageddon sound engineer, was responsible for the multi-disciplinary nature of the tech and realising the vision of the activation. He commented: “Considering the complexity, bandwidth and spacial dimension of the final product leaving the technical area, the Silent Disco King transmission not only worked faultlessly but actually translated the result highly effectively, providing a really enhanced listening experience. During and after the live set, I was able to continue to enhance the listening experience through spacial manipulation and the response from the crowd was fantastic. A great night was had by all with good critical acclaim for the film and Norman’s performance.” Fatboy Slim added; “Well done Silent Disco King! Thanks to Paul and his team, it worked in a field in Pilton!”

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Stephen Bennett speaks to DiGiCo’s Austin Freshwater about the integration of KLANG’s immersive in-ear monitoring system into the company’s console software…

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One of the strangest things I found when I started to play live music was that the all-important monitoring systems always seemed to be set up to fire the sound right at your knees. When I asked monitoring engineers to place the wedges at head height, they looked at me as if I were mad. Things have moved on and now we have monitoring systems that are actually placed in the ear – result!

However, even the best in-ear systems can create a feeling of separation and isolation and you’ll often see performers with one earpiece dangling down over their shoulder to try to get some of that live ‘vibe’ back. Traditional stereo just doesn’t have enough ‘space’ for multiple monitor inputs – you’ll usually need to use EQ to separate out the different instruments, which opens its own can of sonic worms.

New technologies are being developed to enhance the experience of those using in-ear monitoring systems and one of these is the KLANG system which comprises the Fabrik hardware, KOS firmware (now at version 3.1) and a software application. This ‘3D’ in-ear system is designed to produce ‘spatial’ or ‘immersive’ monitor mixes that can be created and controlled by the artist. The upshot of this is that KLANG’s system gives the artists and engineer a wider sound ‘stage’ to play with.

The application features a representation of a head and the instruments to be placed in the monitor mix. The artist then has complete personal control over where in the 3D ‘field’ they lie and the levels of each feed. KLANG’s system can also work with a positional sensor that allows the immersive field to track the artist’s head movement. So, if a singer has placed the drums behind them and turns to look back (while punching the air, of course), the position of the drums in the in-ear monitors also changes.

KLANG is now part of DiGiCo and has been working alongside the company for several years, as Austin Freshwater, DiGiCo’s relatively new general manager, explains. “We share the same distributor in the USA and that allowed us to get very close to the KLANG team and also the products in their range.”

Freshwater says that once you have heard the KLANG system and experienced immersive in-ear mixing, it is very hard to go back to stereo: “Being able to position sources around your head not only allows more space for the audio signals, but on average allows the monitor engineer to reduce the levels by 6dB. These two things combine to reduce ear fatigue and allow an artist to have a more natural on-stage experience.”

DiGiCo has also worked with immersive speakers from L-Acoustics and d&b to enhance the audience’s experience. “These are all designed for the audiences’ perspective, but when we started working with KLANG it was clear their technology would bring major advantages for artists on stage and the monitor engineers, too,” says Freshwater.

He adds that performance setups are becoming more and more complex and one of the challenges for a monitor engineer is how quickly they can set up and control the multiple mixes that they are in charge of, and that integrating the KLANG control into the DiGiCo console software allows them to control the system within their normal workflow. “The functionality provided by the KLANG/DiGiCo system removes the complication of setting up these immersive mixes and allows an engineer to quickly give the artist access to all the audio components they will need to create a bespoke monitor mix,” says Freshwater.

Connectivity between the KLANG system and the DiGiCo console is over Ethernet via the Open Sound Control (OSC) protocol. “The new DiGiCo Quantum 7 console has some fantastic features specifically designed to aid the monitor engineer, such as True Solo and Nodal processing,” explains Freshwater. “KLANG adds to the console’s monitor software suite, which allows DiGiCo to create a complete package that covers both front of house and monitoring.”

Freshwater says that KLANG’s immersive in-ear system allows monitor engineers to bring the sound that is important to an artist into focus: “Sounds that appear in front of us are perceived as more important than sounds coming from the side or behind, so immersive in-ear mixes sound much more natural and comfortable than traditional stereo – and that is key to convince artists to keep both ear pieces in and benefit from the advantages of in-ear monitoring.”

As the KLANG system offers personal mixing on stage, with smartphones or tablets, the monitor engineer can now work collaboratively with the artist who then has complete and precise control over what they want to hear – a far cry from ‘wedge’ based monitoring. KLANG’s system is at the cutting edge of immersive in-ear monitoring, but as the technology advances and further improvements and innovation are made in both hardware and software, the DiGiCo/KLANG collaboration should reap rewards: “One of the great things about KLANG is the team of people working there,” says Freshwater. “With the resources of DiGiCo now available to them, it is certain the exciting new product ideas they have can now be developed further.”

If you want to hear the spectacular difference 3D monitoring can make, download the application from the company’s website and run the demos. Your monitoring experience will never be the same again.

www.klang.com

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DiGiCo is demonstrating the integration of KLANG:technologies immersive in-ear mixing into its SD-Range and the latest A3232 DMI for S-Series consoles at Prolight + Sound 2019.

ISE gave a first glimpse of the advantages the collaboration of DiGiCo and KLANG:technologies will bring to its customers. Now, Prolight + Sound 2019 gives a first opportunity to experience a working version of their new control integration for immersive in-ear mixing; the bidirectional control of mixes and immersive pan positioning will allow monitor engineers to provide fully immersive IEM feeds as part of their normal workflow.

A beta version of the software will be running on the SD7 Quantum 7, SD10 and SD12 96 throughout the show.

Also, first shown at NAMM and ISE, the A3232 DMI card from DiGiCo’s 4REA4 Range is now incorporated into the S-Series consoles. This I/O expansion allows the 4REA4 I/O to be directly connected to S-Series consoles, widening the I/O possibilities. Part of this upgrade, the recently launched S21-Stage48 and S31-Stage48 system, offered with 48 Mic inputs from stage via three A168STAGEracks, will also be on show.

“There was a lot of interest in what DiGiCo’s acquisition of KLANG would bring when it was first announced, which were soon dispelled when the logic of having immersive in-ear mixing capability integrated into DiGiCo consoles became apparent,” said DiGiCo general manager Austin Freshwater. “We are delighted to be able to show a working version of the software so quickly and to fully demonstrate the groundbreaking nature of the collaboration between the two companies.”

DiGiCo can be found on Stand 8.0 F40 at Prolight + Sound 2019 this week.

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HD Pro Audio is holding a Technology Workshop in the Oak Room of the h Club in London’s Covent Garden on Monday, 25 March.

Presentations on the day will include KLANG:technologies’ immersive IEM mix engine, and the Waves eMotion LV1 live mixing console, based on SoundGrid technology with industry-standard Waves plug-ins. This compact and customisable software-based mixer will be complemented by the latest Rupert Neve Designs RMP-D8 8ch preamp with Dante audio networking and remote control.

Lastly is the Green-GO networked digital intercom system, offering flexibility and routing using a traditional network infrastructure. The event will also provide the opportunity to evaluate the increasingly popular 10EaZy sound level monitoring and logging system, designed for venues and events of all shapes and sizes.

HD Pro Audio staff and manufacturers’ representatives will be on hand to provide a comprehensive overview of all technologies on show, as well as hands-on demonstrations.

The workshop will run from 11:00am to 5:00pm and lunch is provided. The event is free but numbers are limited, so anyone wishing to attend should book their place as soon as possible online at https://goo.gl/5ZGERk or by email to info@hdproaudio.co.uk

HD Pro Audio’s sales director, Andy Huffer, commented, “These popular workshops provide a relaxed environment in which attendees can familiarise themselves with new products and real life use of advanced technologies, with experienced professionals on hand to discuss and answer questions.”

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DiGiCo has launched a number of new products at ISE 2019, including the expansion of the DMI-AMM (Automatic Mic Mixing) card onto DMI enabled SD-Range consoles, the A3232 DMI for S-Series and the initial steps of the planned integration of KLANG:Technologies immersive in-ear mixing into the SD-Range.

The DMI-AMM allows up to 64 channels of automatic mic mixing on both DiGiCo’s flagship SD7 Quantum and the SD12 console. Designed in direct response to requests from the corporate market, the DMI-AMM is designed to benefit any production where complex vocal mic setups are in use.

Insertable on any input channel, be it local or rack I/O, the DMI-AMM is designed to assist engineers with multiple spoken voices. It is incorporated into the console’s user interface, allowing a continuous workflow that does not hinder the operation of the console.

In both the SD7 Quantum and SD12 consoles, the DMI-AMM offers 64 channels of processing which can be used in any console input channel. There are two independent AMMs implemented by the DMI-AMM, known as AMM-A and AMM-B, with channels assigned to either A or B or neither.

The A3232 DMI card from the 4REA Range is now incorporated into the S-Series consoles. This I/O expansion allows for the 4REA4 I/O to be directly connected to the S-Series, widening the I/O possibilities. As part of this upgrade a newly launched S21-Stage48 and S31-Stage48 system are being offered with 48 Mic inputs from stage via three 168 Stage racks.

Finally, following the recent acquisition of KLANG:Technologies by DiGiCo, the two companies are showcasing the first stage of their control integration of immersive in-ear mixing at ISE 2019. The bidirectional control of mixes and their immersive pan positioning will allow monitor engineers to provide fully immersive IEM feeds as part of their normal workflow. The complete integration will be shown at Prolight + Sound later this spring.

Visitors to ISE this week can find DiGiCo on Stand 7-K200 from February 5-8.

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DiGiCo has announced the acquisition of KLANG:technologies.

The Audiotonix family of leading audio brands already includes Allen & Heath, Calrec, DiGiGrid, Solid State Logic and DiGiCo. The deal was concluded last week.

James Gordon, CEO of Audiotonix, commented: “We have had the pleasure of working with KLANG and their pioneering immersive technology for a couple of years and when the opportunity arose for them to join Audiotonix, we were keen to make it happen. We have always stressed that with our M&A we would look at each brand’s requirement and help support them with their aspirations.

“On that basis KLANG will become a key part of DiGiCo’s future, as they combine forces to improve the listening world of artists and monitor engineers alike. It is about to sound a lot more natural, with the arrival of I-IEM (Immersive In Ear Monitoring).”

Austin Freshwater, GM of DiGiCo, added: “We have been working in the background with KLANG for some months on increasing our level of integration. Over that time, it was clear the ethos of the development teams was similar, with a lot of shared common goals. Combining the control of the KLANG system into the DiGiCo worksurface will allow I-IEM and 3D personal monitoring to be a part of an engineer’s natural workflow, and that’s just the beginning for us and the KLANG team. We are keen to meet all their existing supporters and help more potential users understand the difference a KLANG system can make.”

“This is a fantastic opportunity for the team at KLANG,” concluded KLANG CEO Roman Scharrer. “Having the wealth of industry knowledge and relationships that only the DiGiCo team have at our disposal is really going to allow us to demonstrate the benefits of our technology to those we feel will benefit the most from our ground-breaking development work.

“Being part of the Audiotonix family will allow our R&D team to bring more of our ideas to life. We can already anticipate that 2019 is going to be a busy year for us and we will continue to excite our users with innovative and sustainable solutions.”

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While audio has been a staple component of exhibitions, cinemas, concert halls, places of worship and theatres for many years, there has been a rise of interest in applying ’3D’ or Virtual and Augmented reality (VR and AR) technology to these installations.

Germany’s Klang technologies are purveyors of 3D in-ear immersive mixing solutions and their KOS operating system has just been upgraded to version 3, adding workflow and other improvements. The New Life United Pentecostal Church, based in Austin, USA, has recently installed two KLANG:fabrik 3D IEM monitoring systems and two KLANG:quelle headphone amplifiers. The KLANG:fabrik units are fed signals via MADI from the church’s DiGiCo SD9 mixing console – one KLANG:fabrik provides eight stereo mixes for use by the musicians on stage during worship services, who then use the two KLANG:quelle headphone amplifiers, connected over a single Dante-networked cable, to create their own individual mixes for each performance.

The second KLANG:fabrik unit is dedicated to the lead vocal and six backup vocalists, through two separate stereo mixes, leaving more than six additional mixes for other applications, such as guest performers. “I barely have to touch monitors anymore,” says Terry Golden, FOH engineer at the church. “The musicians can create exactly the mixes they want on their own using the KLANG:app, which is phenomenal. The KLANG:fabrik we installed at New Life Austin can be summed up in two words, “Its simple!”

Borås, located just east of Göteborg in Sweden, is often compared to Manchester – mainly because of its exceptional rainfall statistics. Sunnier climes are apparent in the town’s Stadsteater, where Klang’s in-ear solutions are making the life of the theatre’s head of sound, Tobias Walka, much easier. “Our mixing system was already fitted with Dante, so we used that to connect to our KLANG:fabrik unit,” says Walka. “The KLANG:app is very intuitive and easy to navigate, especially when used on a larger iPad, Apple Mac or Windows computer. We hooked it up, patched it, assigned channels to users, added names and so on and it all worked on the first try.”

The outputs from the KLANG system are connected to six Sennheiser EW300 wireless in-ear monitors (IEMs) and the system was premiered at the theatre’s production of the musical Cabaret, with the 4-piece band and the two lead actors using IEMs. “Most of the band members were familiar with working with IEMs, but all were extremely impressed with both the sound quality and the ease of use of the KLANG system,” says Walka.

“They all loved being able to adjust their levels on the fly during the gig. Since the band was seated during the whole show they loved the 3D aspect of the system as they could each place the sound of the other instruments where the person playing the instrument was physically situated. They all felt that it also helped greatly with both separation and clarity.” The band commented that this was the first time that in-ears has truly worked for them. “In the past they felt IEM was a necessary evil, but with KLANG 3D IEM they loved it,” he adds.

Astro Spatial Audio in the Netherlands has installed their immersive object-based audio system at Germany’s Folkwang University of the Arts. The installation features the company’s SARA II Premium Rendering Engine at its heart and Bjorn Van Munster, founder and director of Astro Spatial Audio, says that “The SARA II Premium Rendering Engine represents the world’s most advanced implementation of object-based immersive audio plus powerful tools for the optimisation of room acoustics.”

Van Munster says that the system is “entirely brand agnostic” offering sound designers and engineers an entirely new 3D audio toolkit that can be quickly and easily scaled from one venue to the next. The Linux-based SARA II is a 3U rack-mounted device, offering up to 128 MADI or 128 Dante configurable network pathways at 48kHz/24bit resolution. All paths are assignable to at least 32 audio input channels that can be rendered to up to 128 independently processed sound source outputs.

Astro say that even with full CPU processing, latency is guaranteed to be below 5ms. A browser allows access to an intuitive GUI, and simultaneous control from multiple devices, ranging from mixing consoles and DAWs to tablets and phones running either Android or iOS. SARA II features a 2.8” TFT LCD colour touchscreen with a number of different control options. “To ensure reliability, each SARA II engine hosts several on-board redundancy options, while systems can be linked as required to form massive immersive experiences across vast spaces,” says Munster. “Use of the Open Sound Control (OSC) protocol delivers interoperability with third party systems.”

Steven Boardman, part of London-based Jungle Studios’ tech team, a company who specialise in research and development for immersive sound, believes that his choice of equipment and software for installed immersive audio depends on many factors. “You need to account for the budget, acoustics, size of the space, the amount of speakers needed,” says Boardman. “Each has to be taken into account, along with the time it takes to implement.”

Boardman’s personal choice for small-to-medium, full periphonic and horizontal permanent installs, would be point source speakers like Genelec’s The Ones. ”They are better at reconstructing a spatial scene, as all the frequencies are spatially aligned,” he says. “The Ones also have SAM (Smart Active Monitoring) so they can be calibrated for flat frequency response which makes the rendering more accurate. For large temporary installs, I would use L-Acoustics or d&b Audiotechnik. They both provide high output coaxial drivers that sound really good.”

Amadeus are a French-based company, specialising in high-end sound reinforcement systems and custom studio speakers. They have been involved in a staged dramatisation of the 1938 ‘Xi’an Incident’—an event which is credited to have created modern China.

Amadeus worked with its distributor, Chinese-based Guangzhou Sign King ET Co., Ltd., Swiss-based company Sonic Emotion, and British manufacturer of digital mixing consoles, DiGiCo, to design and install the sound setup, alongside creative input from the Paris-based Théâtre National de Chaillot. Wymen Wong, marketing manager of Guangzhou Sign King says that, “The Amadeus team combined all the technologies that were used based around their speakers. It was a very complex and comprehensive list of gear.”

Amadeus’ team set the system up in the theatre, tuned the speakers and trained the Chinese staff. “I believe since my beginnings working in live theater, that inside each sound technician is an electro-acoustic ‘creator’ able to sublimate, reinterpret or magnify a musical project,” says Marc Piera, Chaillot National Theatre’s sound department manager.

“These new techniques of diffusion finally offer us the choice, of building our space, with its depths, its images and its relationship with the scenic elements of the stage. These new sonic techniques allow us to be architects of the sound, sound creators, finally freed from the dictates imposed by the ‘acceptable’ or usual physical positions of the loudspeakers in a theatre.” Wong says that the installation itself uses the DAW Reaper with IRCAM’s ToscA plug in. The setup also includes Amadeus’ Wave II sound processor to reproduce sound sources that appear virtually outside the room using Wave Field Synthesis (WFS) technology.

Apparently based on Huygens’ Principle of 1678, Gaetan Byk, Amadeus’ marketing manager says that the idea of WFS was developed in the Netherlands in the 1980s by the Delft University of Technology. “The WFS concept makes it possible to synthesise ‘sound holograms’ by simulating acoustic waves produced by virtual sound sources,” he says.

“They are each controlled with a delay and a gain to form a wave that emanates from the desired location of the virtual source. This process is repeated for each sound source in the sound scene.“ Byk says that the major benefit of the WFS technique is to create a coherent sound field in an extensive area, therefore preserving the fidelity of the spatial image – the position of the sources—even for listeners located at the periphery of the zone or for those moving within the zone. “Wave field synthesis thus provides the listener with consistent spatial localisation cues over an extended listening area,” he adds.

Dutch-based Alcons Audio is one of Europe’s leading developers and manufacturers of professional sound systems that are used in theatres around the world. Their latest Pro Ribbon immersive audio system was recently demonstrated at Integrated Systems Europe (ISE) 2018 and was comprised of a hybrid 9 by 8 immersive surround configuration, featuring an array of Alcons Audio pro-ribbon loudspeakers, driven by 26 channels of Sentinel amplified loudspeaker controllers with “lossless” AES3 digital signal distribution.

Alcons Audio demonstrated the system with native and up-mixed Dolby Atmos, Auro-3D and DTS:X content, as well as Astro 3D Spatial Audio material. Alcons’ Pro-ribbon speakers, as their name suggests, are based on ribbon drivers that were devised by the company’s Philip de Haan, the senior research and development engineer. “Since 1983 we’ve been expanding the learning curve and did a lot of research on new materials, techniques and production processes. We’ve tested every medium-to-large sized ribbon driver on the market, to see and measure for ourselves what the current status of ribbon development is,” says de Haan.

”Now this know-how has led to a new generation of ribbon drivers, with the RBN601 being the first result of that.” Alcons says that the advantage of ribbon drivers is that distortion is low and there is no compression threshold, which helps maintain tonal balance at all sound pressure levels. The aforementioned RBN601 has a peak handling power of 3000W and is, Alcons claims, currently the most powerful ribbon driver on the market. The RBN401 is a scaled-down version of the RBN601, with a power handling of 50W/800W and an efficiency of 100dB. Alcons call it the “baby Hulk”— the smaller brother of the 601 ‘Hulk’. One of the beneficiaries of the Pro Ribbon technology is Sweden’s Royal Dramatic Theatre, or Dramaten.

In 2015 the theatre installed an Alcons Audio-based system in its main space. “The challenge was to find a physically small system without compromising in sound,” says Dramaten’s technical project manager Johan Bengtsson. “We demand even coverage throughout all four levels of seating and a good stereo image. The available positioning for the system was very limited because the building is historically protected and we have to consider sight lines.” Electrosound AB, a member of the Alcons Global Ribbon Network, installed the system, comprising the L7 speakers—with Pro Ribbon drivers— and LR7B bass units.

There are now quite a range of technologies being utilised in providing immersive audio solutions for installed systems. A mixture of software and cutting edge hardware technology is being combined to offer a true immersive experiences to audiences, while at the same time making the technology easily useable by the performers and artists. With competition for consumer’s attention being drawn to the increasing sophistication of in-home entertainment, these new technologies could make the experience of ‘going out’ a much more memorable experience in future.

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Following a string of recent distribution deals with the likes of Sorinamoo in South Korea and Mods Arts in Italy, KLANG:technologies has appointed Konsbud Audio as its exclusive distributor for Poland.

Konsbud Audio’s distribution portfolio includes, among others, d&b audiotechnik, Allen & Heath, Audio-Technica, Avid, Genelec, Neutrik and Cordial.

Started in 1989, at the beginning of the free market in Poland, Konsbud Audio began with distribution of audio and music equipment.

Today, in addition to distribution of pro audio products, the company offers complete audio solutions for rental, recording and post-production studios, theatres, cultural centres, broadcast and AV companies.

Konsbud Audio also supports its clients with industry leading technical support and service.

Jarosław Kierkowski, Konsbud Audio’s commercial director commented: “We had previously seen KLANG at PL+S in Frankfurt and, at a meeting with them at ISE this year, decided this is the right time to introduce KLANG products for our Polish clients. Musicians and engineers alike want high-tech products that will improve performance quality and the comfort of their work on stage and in the studio.

“KLANG’s systems have a strong synergy with our business, directed to musicians, sound engineers, production companies and rental, and in those fields we are one of the most experienced distributors in Poland.”

Phil Kamp, KLANG:technologies’ head of sales, added: “We are very pleased to welcome Konsbud Audio as distributor in this key European region with its vibrant market for live and recorded music. They have a great line of brands and a team with the expertise to provide excellent technical support. I am looking forward to working with them and introducing KLANG:technologies to musicians and engineers throughout Poland.”

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